For six of the sophomores on Southwest's men's soccer team, their time on the pitch came to an end late last year.
But just recently, they made sure that their time at the next level will continue on after signing with four-year programs.
Brayden Green will play for the University of St. Mary, Jeysson Cruz and Joel Bastida will play in the State of Arizona at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Nelson University respectively, Robert Garcia heads to neighboring Arkansas at Harding University, Justin Ruiz will suit up for Mercy College and Nico Fischer moves on to Eckerd College.
For Green, he represents the third Bear that will play at the school in Kansas, as both Thomas Peralta and Jade Baartman signed to play for the Spires two years ago.
"With coach Zach (Mills) and the other coaches having connections and sending players in the past to play there, it made it easy," Green said. "They called me and we talked a couple of times. I knew that it was the place for me. All of the guys from Southwest said that they enjoyed it. I'm excited."
Green, who lined up as a defender, appeared in only eight contests due to injury but made a name for himself with his tough defense. He finished his sophomore season with one goal and two points which came on Oct. 2 in a 4-0 win vs Oxford of Emory.
Like Green, Garcia was a tough defender for the Bears. He appeared in 15 contests with 14 starts and had one goal and three assists.
The native of Cambre A Coruna, Spain, said that he is ready for the next challenge.
"I'm really excited, I'm ready for the next level. After the last two years here I am ready and I feel that Harding is the best step (for me)," he said.
Garcia adds that he was glad he made the move to come to Southwest not only to continue to grow but adapt to a different style of the game.
"I feel like I got faster, bigger and stronger," he said. "I was used to the soccer in Spain and it is much different than here. I had to learn how to play soccer here because it is different."
Another defender who was a thorn in the side of opposing offenses was Fischer, who started all 16 contests he played in. He finished his sophomore campaign with one goal and one assist.
During his recent signing day, Fischer admitted that he is already preparing for his next step at Eckerd in St. Petersburg, Florida.
"I'm really excited. I'm already thinking about the season and the start of training," he said. "I'm ready, I'm ready for the next step."
The native of Buenos Aires, Argentina added that he received a ton of support from his family to not only continue his academics and athletics but to continue to do so in the United States.
"They wanted me to continue, it was the main idea when I came here," Fischer said. "They were really happy. They were really happy with the opportunity. It is a place that I wanted to go."
Bastida, a California native, said that he is happy to get the chance to not only continue to play but also a bit closer to where he is from.
"It's exciting, I'll be near home. I'll be about 4-5 hours away from home rather than 29 hours. It was definitely something that made this decision easier," he said.
Bastida reflected on his time in Summit and in addition to expressing his gratitude to who has helped him along the way, he said that there were two main things that he learned how to do to help him in the game: "Learning how to adapt with players and being a coachable player at all times."
He finished last season with two assists.
While Bastida will be familiar with playing out west, it will be new for Cruz who prepped at D'Iberville High School. He admits that is just part of the process of his move.
"I'm going to get it through my mind that it is a whole new level," he said. "A new environment, new people and the team. I'm excited but I know that I have to get ready."
Cruz, who wants to major in Computer Engineering, said that the academics played a huge role in his decision to sign at Embry Riddle.
Cruz had a good sophomore campaign, starting in all 15 contests he appeared in and finishing with three goals and one assist.
Like Cruz, Ruiz also stood out during the 2024 season. He led the Bears in scoring with 26 points on eight goals and 10 assists.
When choosing where to spend the next two years, Ruiz said that Mercy checked many boxes.
"I'm really happy that I signed there, I've talked with them for a while," he said. "They really convinced me with what they were saying, their project, they are a really good team. So hopefully I can go over there and win hardware."
Ruiz adds that he is very thankful for the opportunity to continue his academics and athletics at Southwest.
"I had nothing and they opened the door for me," Ruiz said. "Thank you to Southwest for opening the door for me. There are great people here, the staff is great, everyone is great."
Following the ceremony, Coach Mills expressed his joy in seeing five of his players sign with four-year programs.
"I'm very, very happy to see these guys moving on and to where they are moving on," he said. "Good coaches, good conferences, good schools. Of course, we are trying to win (games, championships) but this is a big win for us. I'm very thankful."
